Product Description

Amish widow Emma Yoder's first quilt class brings the most unlikely people together. there's Star, a young woman yearning for stability; Pan and Stuart Johnston, a struggling couple at odds in their marriage; Paul Ramirez, a young widower hoping to find solace in finishing a quilt; Jan Sweet, a rough and tough biker doing some creative community service; and Ruby Lee Williams, a preacher's wife looking for relaxation when parish problems mount. But as these beginning quilters learn to transform scraps of material into beauty; their fragmented lives begin to take new shape with the helping hands of each other and the healing hand of God.

Publisher's Description

Now a New York Times Bestseller! Join the club of unlikely quilters who show up for Amish widow Emma Yoder’s quilting classes. A troubled young woman, a struggling couple, a widower, a rough and tough biker, and a preacher’s wife make up the mismatched lot. But as their problems begin to bind them together like the scraps of fabric stitched together in a quilt, they learn to open up and lend a helping hand. Is this what God had in mind to heal hurting hearts and create beauty from fragments?

Author Bio

New York Times bestselling author, Wanda E. Brunstetter became fascinated with the Amish way of life when she first visited her husband's Mennonite relatives living in Pennsylvania. Wanda and her husband, Richard, live in Washington State but take every opportunity to visit Amish settlements throughout the States, where they have many Amish friends.

Publisher's Weekly

Popular Amish specialist Brunstetter (Kentucky Brothers series) offers a twist on Amish: a group of English (i.e., non-Amish) people take a quilting class from Amish widow Emma Yoder. The students all have problems in their lives that they inevitably bring to the class, which quickly functions as a support group as theysometimes reluctantlyhear one another out. They are unsubtly diverse: a black preachers wife, a Hispanic widower who is a single dad, a biker working off a DUI, a goth young adult, a bickering suburban couple. Brunstetters fans will likely ignore the shortcomings of the novel (clunky dialogue like Do you see that colorful Amish quilt hanging on the line in the yard across the road?) and have some fun as their favorite character resolves his or her crisis with a stitch in time. (Apr.)2012 Reed Business Information

This was a nice easy read - no complicated plot to keep track of, no suspense or drama to climax and recover from. Just a gentle look into the lives of six small town folk who, for various reasons, sign up for Emma Yoder's quilting class. It's lovely to see how the common bond of quilting brings this odd bunch together, allowing them to grow as individuals, and to learn far more than how to quilt from Emma, who is able to impart gentle wisdom between stitches. It's nice to read of the positive outcome for all when this Amish widow opens her heart and her home to outsiders, rather than isolating herself the way most Amish do in books. I enjoyed reading this book on holidays.

I really like to read Amish fiction. The whole lifestyle is so much slower paced than mine. I find them to be not only entertaining but relaxing as well.

I enjoy Wanda Brunstetter's books very much. She has a very clear writing style that adds to my enjoyment. This book is no different. I love the cast of characters that she has developed for it. They are all vastly different and yet most of them are very likeable right from the start. Even those that annoyed me at the beginning eventually turned out to have some wonderfully redeeming qualities and I liked them all by the end of the book.

Each family represented has their own problems that they are dealing with. Wanda does a fabulous job of working each of them through their problems individually and yet with the support of the others in the quilting class. She shows that it very possible for those who are struggling to be just what someone else needs to help them through their own difficulties.

In an effort to support herself widow Emma Yoder decides to teach quilting so she posts signs and advertises for students. She accepts six students and oh what a mixed group of students they are, three women and three men including one couple trying to save their marriage, a pastors wife, a biker who lost his drivers license and has to ride a bicycle, a widower with a young baby and a very troubled young girl who's grandmother actually signed her up for the class before she died.

Emma misses her husband terribly and has no interest in remarrying but she is being pursued by Lamar, a widower who doesn't want to live the rest of his years alone. When Emma gets shingles, Lamar fills in for her one Saturday and shares his interest in quilting with the students. Emma continues to brush him off though.

While they are learning quilting the students are all going through their own personal turmoil, will the quilting club students ever finish their wall hangings? Emma finds herself wondering if this was a good idea when she finds personalities clashing more than she feels comfortable with.

This was a pretty interesting story. With the differences in the students personalities, even the couple, you wonder if they will all continue to the end of the course and will they every find peace for themselves.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the NetGalley book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

This book was ok, but it seemed difficult to become really interested in it until about the final 3 or 4 chapters. I believe it was my least favorite book by Wanda Brunsetter. It became a little boring hearing about the couples problems however I will say it had a surprise ending and I liked that about it. Other than the last few chapters, it was not one of my favorites. I have about 170 Amish Christian Books however it seems like after about the first or second chapter of each of them, no matter who the author may be, you can almost guess how the books will end. This one as I said , had a surprising ending which was different.